


The Case, The Trust and The Frenemy

by WildChaser



Series: Angus MacGyver and the one thing he did not know about himself [4]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Bisexual Mac, Bisexuality, Case Fic, Established Relationship, Frenemies to Friends, Frenemy, Gen, Heartfelt Conversations, Jack and Luke interactions, Jack is supportive, Jack wants his boy to be happy, M/M, Relationship Development, Self-Esteem Issues, Sort Of, Trust Issues, but not too much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 03:56:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13755795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildChaser/pseuds/WildChaser
Summary: Mac does not know a lot of things from Lucas' past, but that is about to change when the team is tasked with apprehending an FBI agent gone rogue - the same one who once came very close to catching The Burglar. Apparently, Lucas is not the only one to change profession recently, yet he refuses to believe that said agent is guilty. What are his reasons for thinking so? And could the team trust his judgement?Mac is torn between completing the task and trusting his lover - or is he?





	The Case, The Trust and The Frenemy

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what's happening, the plot just keeps appearing in my head, so I needed to write it down. There isn't as much in there about Mac's and Luke's relationship as I would like, but still, I think it presents some stuff pretty nicely.  
> I hope you enjoy it!

 

 

**Phoenix Foundation**

**Somewhere in Los Angeles**

**People think it’s a think tank**

**But you already know better**

 

 

Despite joining Phoenix Foundation, Lucas Burkhardt wasn’t an official part of the main team. More often than not, he stayed in the headquarters and helped others create believable covers for the Phoenix agents. He worked on improving the identities, taught less experienced agents how to act believably in the field and how not to lose themselves in the net of lies they had come up with. It took about three months and some visible effects of his work until most Phoenix agents began warming up to him.

Not all of them, but Lucas never aimed to please everybody. To be brutally honest, he usually cared only for Mac’s pleasure; even when it came to the rest of the main team… well, his only concern was to not piss them off too much.

Except maybe from Jack. Riling him up became sort of hobby of Luke’s.

 

This time, however, Lucas stood in the briefing room, casually leaning against the wall, his hands crossed on his chest. It wasn’t the first mission he was required for, nor the second. Sometimes they just needed a backup in the form of his unique sneaking abilities.

 

Luke caught Mac’s eyes and smiled. They stood close to each other, but not an inch too close. Both of them were aware that everybody in the room—Jack, Riley and Matty—knew they were sleeping together, but they firmly separated their private lives from professional ones. Also, Mac didn’t really seem fond of public displays of affection, even though he was plenty affectionate when they were alone. And on top of that, Luke wasn’t really sure what was the official status of his relationship with Angus. He meant to bring up that topic, but the time never seemed right. They went out on a semi-regular basis – as regularly as the work allowed them to – they had plenty of fun in each other’s company and, as far as Lucas could tell, they were great in bed together.

Angus was beautiful, passionate and open for new suggestions. Despite his inexperience, he was neither shy nor afraid of asking for what he wanted. And, my, Angus could get pretty demanding after a while, and Lucas was all too happy to fulfil his every wish, especially that if Angus asked for something, he usually gave back twice as much, always putting his lover’s satisfaction on the first place. It didn’t take them long to establish a perfect balance of giving and taking. Lucas became skilled in predicting Angus’ needs even before he decided to voice them, and after short period of initial embarrassment, Angus lost all his inhibitions about what brought him the biggest pleasure.

So no, sex wasn’t the problem. What happened after sex wasn’t the problem either. Angus was extremely affectionate and Luke didn’t mind that one bit. He was all in for snuggling, cuddling, stealing lazy kisses and falling asleep in each other’s arms. Hell, he was so charmed by Angus’ boyishly handsome looks that he would be completely content just lying in bed with him for all eternity, running his fingers gently through Angus’ chin, jaw, his cheeks; hell, caressing every inch of his face, honestly. Angus looked great, smelled great, was great at making love and had a great mind of top of it as well.

So the only real problem was that Lucas had no idea where they stood with each other. They talked a lot, they went out to eat, they ended up in bed—but neither of them mentioned any word about a relationship. Jack or Riley sometimes made some ‘boyfriends’ joke, but Mac never went along with it, and admittedly, neither did Lucas. He didn’t want to acknowledge it only to have Mac try to set straight some possible misconceptions on Luke’s part. It would be awkward and would probably mess up whatever they had now. And so far, Luke wasn’t willing to risk it.

Okay, so Luke was officially a chicken about bringing it up. So what, sue him. He had a shitty track record with previous boyfriends, and what he had with Angus seemed too precious to just… fuck up with wanting more than maybe Mac was ready to offer.

Also, once or twice Luke heard Jack mention some previous girlfriend of Mac, Nikki or something. It sounded like there is a story there, but Mac hadn’t volunteered to share it yet, and Luke didn’t want to press. Especially that Mac didn’t really seem to be flirting around with other people even though they weren’t officially exclusive, so… Luke stayed quiet and decided to wait, hoping that with time the problem would solve himself.

But for now, there was a job waiting for them.

 

“Guys,” began Matty, making a small pause to gain their full attention, “today we’re dealing with a dirty FBI agent who stole a chip detailing all the FBI undercover ops; there was everything, the real and the fake identities, all the mission details. This is exactly as serious as it sounds,” Matty said firmly and looked up at all their faces, making sure they understand the gravity of the situation. But she didn’t need to tell them twice.

“What do they want to do with it? Has it leaked already?” Asked Luke, immediately getting why he was assigned to this case. Fake identities, that was definitely his specialty.

“No, but it has already appeared on the black market, to be sold to the highest bidder. That’s how we got the lead on the agent,” explained Matty.

Lucas huffed in indignation. “Leaving people for certain death, for money? Christ. There are plenty of other ways to get really rich; are these people pointlessly cruel on purpose, or just lack creativity? ‘Cause that’s just—You guys deal with that shit a lot?” Luke looked around, honestly expecting an answer.

Riley, Matty, Mac and Jack all took almost the same expression – resignation – when they nodded.

“It’s a miracle you still haven’t lost your faith in humanity,” murmured Luke, shaking his head.

Riley let out a brief laugh. “It’s not miracle,” she corrected. “It’s Mac.”

 

Mac immediately began fiercely denying this statement, almost blushing, but Luke knew that Riley’s observation was right to the point.

 

After a moment Matty cleared her throat pointedly. “May I continue?” She asked in a fake sweet tone, which was enough to calm them down.

“We’re listening.” Jack straightened his back as if to prove it.

“Okay, because I’m not going to repeat myself.” Matty turned to look at Lucas. “Especially you, listen to me right now.”

Lucas raised his eyebrows in surprise, since he had no idea why she would address him directly like that.

“The FBI already identified the agent, but they asked for our help in apprehending her. She’s one of the best, so I need your A-game for that. AND, Lucas, remember, you’re part of this team now. I don’t want you to lose the focus out of… the need for revenge.”

Lucas’ eyebrows got even higher, because he had no idea what he could have done to warrant the disclaimers like that.

And then the photo of said FBI agent appeared on the screen and breath got stuck in his throat.

“Guys, this is Crystal Tyson,” introduced Matty.

There was a photo of a red-haired woman in her early forties, slim but obviously well-trained, with a steady stare and warm complexion. Her hair was so short it was barely visible that it was curly; the only curls being the one from the fringe loosely hanging on her forehead. The rest of the head was trimmed shorter than the front. She looked like a strong woman who could land a solid punch and who took no shit from anybody.

“No way,” muttered Luke in obvious disbelief.

“What?” Asked Mac, looking for some clarification.

“This is the only person that came close to catching me. Like, really-really catching me, not just some fake-me.” Luke was trying to keep his voice under control, but Mac immediately noticed how shocked he was.

“The only reason I allow you to go on this mission,” began Matty firmly, observing Luke’s face carefully, “is that I _trust_ that you can keep your feelings at bay. Understood?”

“No way,” decided Luke at once, facing Matty’s eyes steadily.

She looked back at her with surprise mixed with open disappointment. “What, you want revenge so badly I can’t rely on you to just help apprehend her?” She summed up dryly.

Luke laughed, but there was no real humor in his voice.

“Okay, guys, this situation seems really fucked up, but I need you to listen to me.” Lucas looked around, and took a deep breath. Then he said with full conviction in his voice: “She did not do it.”

For a moment or two, there was silence, since nobody expected him to say something like that. And in such way. Matty cleared her throat again.

“Care to elaborate? You know something about this particular case?”

“Hell no.” Denied Lucas. “But -- and I realize how ridiculous it sounds -- I know Crystal.  She would rather die than put others in such danger; and sure as hell she wouldn’t do something like that for money. It’s just, she’s not that kind of person.”

“Did I hear it right?” Asked Jack in surprise. “Are you defending your arch-enemy?”

Lucas rolled his eyes so hard that Mac could almost hear it.

“She’s not my arch-enemy.” Lucas cleared his throat awkwardly. “More like, um, frenemy? With a creepy stalker undertone?”

Mac turned towards his lover, his interest raising with every passing second. Lucas caught his puzzled look and combed his black hair self-consciously.

He realized everyone awaited further explanation.

“Well, you know, when someone is basically hunting for you…” Then he cut himself off. “Well, maybe you don’t know. So, um, for like, two or three years, and it was about five years ago, I was her most important assignment, the number one on the list and all that. And she was really focused on the job, terrifyingly so; I mean, this woman is brilliant this way. So she hunted me so meticulously it bordered on obsession. And of course, to avoid getting caught, I had to return the favor. As a result, we, um, we possibly know each other way more than it’s…”

Luke couldn’t find the right word, so Jack supplied him with: “Expected?”

Luke looked down in slight embarrassment. “Decent,” he amended.

“Decent?” Repeated Mac in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s not get into details; when I say it bordered on creepy, I meant really _creepy_. But she started it!” Added Luke weekly.

“Woah, that sounded mature,” commented Riley.

Jack looked at Lucas with new wave of curiosity. “You slept with her?”

He might have as well struck Luke with lightning, he got a similar reaction.

“Not _that_ creepy, Jack!” Exclaimed Luke, completely dreaded by the idea. “Jesus Christ on a stick, I’m not even bi, man!”

Jack shrugged, not bothered by the outburst in the slightest. “Calm down, I just wondered. You seemed really bent on defending her.”

“Yes! Because I know her. And I get it that sometimes people do stuff nobody would expect them to and money is a great motivator, but trust me, this is not the case.”

“I can’t believe I’m even considering this, but fine.” Matty sighed theatrically, as if saying ‘nothing can be easy with you guys’. Then she looked Luke right in the eye and asked: “Just tell me, are you willing to put your credibility on the line for this woman?”

Luke didn’t even hesitate before replying firmly: “I am.”

Matty honestly expected that answer, so she just concluded: “Well, then it seems it will be an even more complicated case, guys. ‘Cause now we need to come into contact with Crystal, convince her to help us find the real rogue agent and do all that before the files get into the wrong hands.”

“No pressure, then,” Jack commented, cracking a dry smile.

Matty shot him an unamused glare and then turned towards Mac.

“No time to waste. You three,” she pointed her finger at Luke, Mac and Jack, “in the field; you two,”  she pointed at Riley and Bozer, “in here.” She was quick to divide the duties for the mission.

“Chop chop, Blondie,” she rushed Mac, waving her hand, when she saw they were all still standing in the room. “Grab your boys and get to work.”

“Yes, ma’am,” replied Mac immediately and headed for the exit.

Jack was about to follow him, but then he suddenly stopped and turned back to Matty.

“We’re not _his_ _boys_!” He exclaimed, frowning.

Lucas rolled his eyes and patted Jack on the shoulder as he was leaving the briefing room. “Wake up, Jack. Of course we are.”

Jack raised his eyebrows, but then sighed in resignation.

“Of course we are”, he conceded and left the room, accompanied by Matty laughing under her nose.

 

 

**The US of A**

**Near the border with Mexico**

 

 

As it quickly turned out, Crystal was nowhere to be found but not because she was hiding from the law. A smooth investigation on Mac, Jack and Luke’s part, aided with Riley supreme hacking skills led them to the conclusion that she was, in fact, kidnapped. To make things worse, possibly kidnapped by the person responsible for stealing the files in the first place. And further leads pointed them towards the old factory building they were just approaching.

 

Mac glanced at Luke with a corner of his eye. He was getting worried about his—whatever they were. But the fact remained, the had never seen Luke behaving like that. He was usually very focused on the job, but this time he eyed the surroundings like a bird of prey. Luke took ‘focused’ onto a whole new level for this mission. He paid attention to every movement, every breath, every blink of an eye. The tension emanating from his body was killing Mac and he decided to do something about it.

He put his right and firmly on Luke’s left shoulder. That immediately got Luke’s attention.

“We will find her,” assured him Mac, looking him right in the eye.

Luke took a deep breath and exhaled the air slowly, calming himself down. “I know.” His look became a bit softer than a few seconds ago. He raised his right hand and put it on Mac’s, which was still gripping Luke’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” murmured Luke, turned his head left and kissed Mac’s thumb lightly. Then he squeezed Mac’s hand gently and stood up, turning around to Jack.

“Okay, I’m ready,” said Luke and began coordinating his breaking and entering ideas with Mac.

 

Jack stood a few steps away from them, observing their interaction in silence. Mac told him recently that he wasn’t really sure what was between him and Luke. Jack called him an idiot, because it was pretty clear from his standpoint. The way Lucas looked at Mac, the way he reacted to his voice in a situations like this one, all that pointed to one conclusion. Weird thing was that Mac couldn’t see it, but then, hey, some things are easier to notice from the outside.

That quiet exchange between Mac and Luke prompted Jack to make a decision. After this mission, if those two didn’t get their heads outta their asses, he was going to have a talk with the both of them. Because if something this good happened to you, it was almost sinful to have it only half way. Papa Jack always wanted his boy to be happy, and while he might be sometimes really annoyed by Luke, he wasn’t blind and the default smile that was recently stuck to Mac’s face—Jack hadn’t seen him so happy since… Since Nikki had said yes to Rome, which basically meant since Mac had actually thought about his future with her…

God damn it, that bitch broke his boy’s heart. Jack was so glad they didn’t get to see her a lot. The longer he thought about it, the more angry he got with her about that situation. In some ways, it would be better if she had actually just went to the dark side for money, but no, she had to come back, reveal her undercover mission; mess with Mac’s head once again.

It sounded insane, but when it came to plotting, Jack realized he would trust Lucas way more with Mac than he would ever trust Nikki again, even though she was officially one of the ‘good guys’ whereas Lucas was on the other side of law once they met him. But man, the way Lucas looked at Mac when he thought nobody was paying attention (which was a wrong assumption on so many levels; when around, Jack was _always_ paying attention)… Once Jack saw him giving Mac that look for the first time, he was stunned. He had not seen _that_ coming, at least not so quickly. But then again, if Jack read the situation correctly, neither had Lucas.

 

“Jack, are you listening?” Asked him Mac, rolling his eyes, because he already knew the answer. Jack smiled apologetically and began really focusing on their intricate yet slightly insane plan for retrieving the innocent (or so Luke said) FBI agent.

 

 

**The same place as before**

**but inside**

**and 15 minutes later**

 

 

“Tyson, you there?”, whispered Lucas loudly into the cell they had just approached. They cleared the area, left some guys tied up and some unconscious on the floor; well, some of them bleeding too. So their immediate surroundings were clear; it was still better not to make too much noise though.

“You?!” Apparently, it was the cell they had been looking for. Crystal’s voice was hoarse, but strong. “Changed your business, I see,” she hissed furiously, clearly misinterpreting the situation. “How could I have ever thought that...” She cut herself off, her voice filled with disgust and disappointment. Lucas didn’t blame her.

“I did, in fact, change my job.” He admitted casually, fiddling with the lock on her cell. “That’s why, honey, I’m saving your ass right now.”

“What?” She seemed surprised and suspicious at the same time. The lock clicked and the cell was open.

Jack stepped in first, gun ready, but lowered down. “We’re working for the US government,” he explained steadily, still assessing whether she would attack him or not.

“You came to stealthily execute me?” She guessed dryly, but the lowered gun made her wonder.

“Saving your ass, I told you,” repeated Lucas with theatrical exasperation. “Why don’t you ever believe me?”

“Because you are a criminal,” she shot back firmly. “If not to execute me, then you’ve come to apprehend me. I’m guessing you won’t believe if I tell you I’m innocent.”

Mac smiled at her warmly, but raising his eyebrow pointedly. “If we didn’t believe it, you would be in handcuffs already.”

She eyed him from hair to toe and huffed dryly: “Bold words for such a skinny boy like you.”

Mac laughed at that, he’s heard it plenty of times already. “Oh, I wouldn’t be the one tackling you,” he amended sweetly and pointed at Jack.

“So, you’re coming or what?” Asked her Jack, wanting to get them out of there as soon as possible.

Crystal didn’t seem to trust them completely (or maybe even at all), but she took the offered chance at freedom and followed the criminal she always wanted to catch and the two unknown military guys. She really had a bad fucking week.

 

 

**On the road**

 

 

“Do you have any idea who could steal that drive instead of you?” Asked Mac as soon as they left the factory far behind.

Crystal glanced at their faces, frowning in disbelief. “So you really believe I didn’t do it?”

“We’re kind of taking his word for it, so, y’know, it would be nice if it was true,” admitted Jack, pointing his head at Lucas.

She immediately focused her stare at Luke. “How do you know?” She demanded.

Luke just shrugged his shoulders. “Come on, I know you. It’s ridiculous; how could anybody believe you stole it?”

Crystal all but screamed; she stood up as if she was struck by a lightning and punched the side of the van they were driving in. She left a dent in it.

Mac, Jack and Luke started at her in shock; Jack already on high alert. But she didn’t do anything more, except taking a couple deep breaths.

“They did, you know,” she began finally, her breath hoarse from the scream she just let out, “my colleagues, my friends, not all of them, but most. Even some really close ones. They were told I stole it for money, and they believed it! They started fucking hunting me! They made me a fugitive! And you’re asking me ‘how could anybody believe it’?! I have no fucking idea, I’ve been asking myself the same question for two days now! It’s insane that the only person who believed in me is…!!!”

“Me?” Supplied Lucas smugly.

“Yes!” Crystal yelled. Then huffed at him again. “And shut up.”

“I’m not saying anything!”

“Guys, sorry to break this warm and emotional reunion, I see you have plenty to talk about, but can we maybe focus on the case?” Interrupted them Mac smoothly.

“And you are?”

“How rude of me!” Exclaimed Lucas. “Crystal, this is Angus MacGyver, working for the US government; he’s brilliant, he can make everything out of nothing, and then make this everything go ka-boom. He’s resourceful, a real asset in the field, I’m sure you’ll enjoy working with him.” Lucas pointed at Mac and presented him on one breath. Then he pointed at Jack. “And this is Jack Dalton.”

The silence that followed was almost painful to the ears.

“What, that’s it?” Jack was clearly annoyed.

“He shoots people,” added Luke after a theatrical moment of thought.

By this point Mac began openly laughing at this exchange. Even Crystal cracked a smile after a moment.

“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m Crystal Tyson and I did not steal that chip,” she introduced herself in a faux-official tone.

“Woah, you should put this description on your Tinder profile,” commented Luke.

She sent him a deathly glare. “I will shoot you,” she promised.

“Seconded!” Added Jack enthusiastically.

Mac pointedly face palmed himself and sighed loudly.

 

 

**Several hours later**

 

 

“Why is it always the husband?!” Jack yelled at the unfairness of the world, or maybe just predictability of it.

“I told you he was an asshole.” Lucas glanced at Crystal, not feeling as smug as he could be, because it didn’t matter if he was right or wrong -- she still had her life crushed into pieces right now.

“Well, I’m sorry I wasn’t inclined to trust the judgement of a criminal,” she hissed sharply in response, while gritting her teeth. She wasn’t the one to cry, but she sure as hell was in the mood to punch, shoot or smash something. Or someone.

Her husband, FBI Agent Joshua Tyson, was just being walked away in handcuffs. He didn’t say a word to her, which was maybe better, but it left her even more bitter. Nothing could explain what he had done, but hell, he could have at least tried! Seven years of marriage, now trashed into a dumpster. And in such circumstances! Crystal was thankful for all the agents witnessing the scene, because if she was left alone with Josh, she would inevitably kill this fucker, or at least punch his teeth out. All of them.

Lucas saw how shaken she was and sighed sadly.

“How about trusting the judgement of a friend?” He asked quietly and opened his arms slightly. It did say a lot about the state of mind she was in that she accepted the hug without much hesitation.

It took less than 72 hours for her to reevaluate most of her relationships – the one with husband and with some of her best friends as well. On the other hand, it turned out there were some people, people whom she did not consider friends before, who kept fighting for her and expressing their doubts about the official orders. She would make it her priority now to ensure they wouldn’t suffer any unpleasant consequences for this.  In the end, maybe losing most of her friends would be a bit balanced by gaining some new, unexpected ones.

Like this one, she thought as she let herself be embraced and comforted by no one other than Lucas Burkhardt.

“You wanna grab something to eat?” He offered after a moment, which made her realize exactly how hungry she was. She agreed.

 

 

**While grabbing something to eat**

 

 

“So, what’s the deal with you working for a government?” Crystal asked over a steaming bowl of spaghetti Bolognese that was just served to her.

She probably needed all the distraction she could get right now, so Lucas was willing to catch up – however weird that sounded considering their peculiar relationship.

Lucas shrugged. “I ran into Angus and Jack during one job, I wanted to steal something, they wanted to… well, actually, they wanted to steal it as well, so that I don’t get it first, but you know me, of course I got it first.” He smiled smugly.

“So, if you beat them to it, how did you end up working with them in the end?”

“Eh… bad intel, too much morals, and you know I draw the line at killing.” He summed up shortly.

“That’s it?” Crystal raised her eyebrows suspiciously.

“Yeah, mostly.”

“Mostly?” She repeated slowly and shook her head. “I sense bullshit.” She raised her eyed at him challengingly. “You know, I might have been deep in my own trouble for the last couple of days, but I haven’t turned blind. And from what I’ve seen, Lucas, you’re running after that blonde boy like a lovesick puppy; gosh, it’s almost pathetic.”

Lucas would take serious offence at the disrespectful tone of voice she used to say that, but he understood her emotions could be a bit volatile after all she’s been through. Still, he wasn’t willing to let it slide.

“Well, you got the observation right, but your interpretation skills suck.” He retorted grimly, openly showing her how much he did not appreciate that comment. He looked her in the eye, making sure she got the seriousness conveyed in his stare. “There is no shame in following this man, Crystal.”

She did not expect to hear something so honest from him, and that made her really reconsider the situation. After stretching the silence for a while, she dared to observe:

“You may be right. Mac does seem to be a good man.”

Lucas cracked a self-deprecating smile. “Opposites do attract each other.”

Crystal huffed and shook her head. “Don’t be an idiot, Luke. You’re a good man too.”

Lucas shrugged non-committally, not really knowing how to respond to such a claim. Crystal’s opinion meant more to him than he was willing to admit, but he still had trouble simply accepting this statement.

Crystal saw the hesitation painted on his face and tactfully changed the topic.  

Somehow she felt this Mac guy might have better luck with overcoming Luke’s hidden self-esteem issues than her. Crystal certainly rooted for it.

**Author's Note:**

> There was no Nikki in there, I know. She was supposed to be in there, but then I realized it would be better if I split the idea into two one-shots, so... Yeah, there will be another one. The last one. This time, like, for real, the last one.  
> I am weak, I know ;)
> 
> Friendly reminder: comments feed the motivation!


End file.
